A key aspect of writing is being able to transcribe your thoughts into text. To do that, you need to use a set of basic but vital writing skills that include handwriting, typing, and spelling. When kids struggle with these skills, it can have an impact on how well they learn and perform at school.
Some professionals and parents refer to these challenges as dysgraphia. Having poor transcription skills makes it hard for kids to do written work, copy notes from the board, and perform well on tests. The writing is usually messy and hard to read, whether they're doing math problems, writing an essay, or taking a short-answer quiz.
But while these challenges can affect learning, it's important to know they have nothing to do with intelligence. The various transcription skills are related, so it's not unusual for kids to have difficulty with more than one. For instance, handwriting is related to spelling.
When kids spell out words, they need to remember the letter forms for each letter, and the motor planning involved in making each letter. They also need to remember the associations between letters and their sounds. When those skills are weak, both spelling and handwriting suffer.
We also know that kids with writing difficulties typically have other challenges as well. Some of the most common issues that co-occur are dyslexia, ADHD, and motor skills problems like developmental coordination disorder. It's important to get to the bottom of your child's writing issues in order to know how to address them.
Having a full evaluation for learning and attention issues will show specific areas of weakness, and can lead to effective services, both in and out of school. Those services will depend on your child's specific challenges. You can also help your child at home.
There are fun ways to work on handwriting, spelling, and typing skills that won't feel like extra work to your child. You can search for games, apps, and software that promote these skills. But the most important thing you can do is reassure your child that writing problems can improve, no matter what's causing them.
Having your support and encouragement can help your child feel more confident and motivated to work on their writing challenges.
